Jaw pain can be split into a few different types of symptoms – those symptoms associated with heart attacks, those associated with arthritis and finally toothache. We shall take each one in turn and discuss them

Jaw Pain and heart attacks

In heart attacks there are various symptoms to look out for which are more widely known such as chest pain, pain and numbness down the one side, shortness of breath etc. These are the common symptoms which occur in the vast percentage of cases however there are other symptoms such as pain radiating to the jaw and teeth.

These symptoms may also be found in a patient suffering from angina especially when the pain is episodic and intermittent. There should be other symptoms associated with angina such as chest pain.

Any unexplained symptoms should be checked out immediately by your GP.

Jaw joint pain

Jaw joint pain is especially common in those suffering from arthritis.
The name for this is temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease. This type of pain is often associated with clicking or popping sounds emanating from the jaw area. You may also suffer from headaches and ‘lock jaw’. This is a very common ailment and may at one time affect most people.

People have two joints connected with the jaw these being the temporomandibular joints connecting the base of the skull with the top half. These joints help you move your jaw in various directions such as up and down and from side to side and as such are more prone to facing large amounts of wear and tear than some other joints. Thereby causing in some people whose joints are not as healthy as normal arthritis or pain in the neck and shoulders.
Jaw Pain and Toothache.

As described above the jaw joints are subject to large amounts or wear and tear and as such the jaw joints may themselves become misaligned and cause people to have overbites or large pronounced jaws. This can cause serious discomfort and pain as this will create additional pressure on those joints and this pain may cause it difficult to eat or chew.